Olive Garden Salad Recipe
A fresh and vibrant Olive Garden-style salad featuring crisp lettuce, colorful vegetables, black olives, and pepperoncinis, tossed with a zesty homemade Italian dressing, crunchy croutons, and topped with Parmesan cheese. Perfect as a light side or a refreshing starter.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: Italian-American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
Salad Ingredients
- 8 cups chopped lettuce
- ¼ cup red cabbage, shredded
- ¼ cup carrots, julienne
- ¼ cup red onion, sliced
- ½ cup black olives
- 2 roma tomatoes, sliced
- 1/3 cup pepperoncinis
- 1 cup croutons
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Dressing Ingredients
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (preferably smooth over robust)
- 1 (0.7 oz) packet Zesty Italian Dressing Mix
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon grated Romano cheese (or Parmesan)
- 3 teaspoons sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip)
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Prepare the Dressing: Combine all dressing ingredients—extra virgin olive oil, Zesty Italian Dressing Mix, white vinegar, water, Romano cheese, sugar, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and garlic powder—in a mini food processor or a jar with a secure lid. Blend or shake vigorously to emulsify the ingredients into a smooth dressing. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use to let flavors meld.
- Prepare Salad Ingredients: Chop the lettuce and shred the red cabbage and carrots as directed. Slice the red onion and roma tomatoes. Use a paper towel to gently blot the tomato slices to remove excess moisture, which helps keep the salad crisp and fresh.
- Assemble the Salad Base: In a large salad bowl, combine the chopped lettuce, red cabbage, carrots, red onion, black olives, and pepperoncinis. Toss gently to mix the vegetables evenly.
- Add Dressing and Toss: Drizzle your desired amount of the prepared Italian dressing over the salad mixture and toss thoroughly to coat all ingredients evenly. Note that you may not need to use all of the dressing depending on your preference.
- Finish and Serve: Sprinkle the salad with crunchy croutons and grated Parmesan cheese for added texture and flavor. Serve immediately for the freshest experience. This salad pairs beautifully with Olive Garden Alfredo or any Italian main course.
Notes
- Blot tomato slices dry to maintain salad freshness and avoid sogginess.
- You can prepare the dressing a day in advance to enhance flavor depth.
- If preferred, substitute Romano cheese with Parmesan cheese in the dressing.
- Adjust dressing quantity to taste as the salad can become soggy if overdressed.
- For a lighter version, reduce or omit the sugar and mayonnaise from the dressing.
Keywords: Olive Garden salad, Italian salad, homemade Italian dressing, fresh garden salad, crispy croutons, Parmesan cheese salad
Find it online: https://amayaharis.com/olive-garden-salad-recipe/
